| Commitments and Contingent Liabilities | Note 17. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities Litigation In addition to the matters discussed below, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries, from time to time, are subject to various lawsuits, claims, assessments, and proceedings with respect to product liability, intellectual property, personal injury, commercial, contractual, employment, governmental, environmental, anti-trust, and other such matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. In addition, Chemours, by virtue of its status as a subsidiary of DuPont prior to the separation, is subject to or required under the separation-related agreements executed prior to the separation to indemnify DuPont against various pending legal proceedings. It is not possible to predict the outcomes of these various lawsuits, claims, assessments, or proceedings. While management believes it is reasonably possible that Chemours could incur losses in excess of the amounts accrued, if any, for the aforementioned proceedings, it does not believe any such loss would have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Disputes between Chemours and DuPont may also arise with respect to indemnification matters, including disputes based on matters of law or contract interpretation. If and to the extent these disputes arise, they could materially adversely affect Chemours. Asbestos In the separation, DuPont assigned its asbestos docket to Chemours. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, there were approximately 1,500 and 1,600 At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, Chemours had an accrual of $38 related to this matter. Benzene In the separation, DuPont assigned its benzene docket to Chemours. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, there were 17 cases pending against DuPont alleging benzene-related illnesses. These cases consist of premises matters involving contractors and deceased former employees who claim exposure to benzene while working at DuPont sites primarily in the 1960s through the 1980s, and product liability claims based on alleged exposure to benzene found in trace amounts in aromatic hydrocarbon solvents used to manufacture DuPont products such as paints, thinners, and reducers. Management believes that a loss is reasonably possible as to the docket as a whole; however, given the evaluation of each benzene matter is highly fact-driven and impacted by disease, exposure, and other factors, a range of such losses cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. PFOA Prior to the fourth quarter of 2014, the performance chemicals segment of DuPont made PFOA (collectively, perfluorooctanoic acids and its salts, including the ammonium salt) at its Fayetteville, North Carolina plant and used PFOA as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers at certain sites including: Washington Works, Parkersburg, West Virginia; Chambers Works, Deepwater, New Jersey; Dordrecht Works, Netherlands; Changshu Works, China; and, Shimizu, Japan. These sites are now owned and/or operated by Chemours. Chemours maintained accruals of $20 and $14 related to the PFOA matters discussed below at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Specific to the PFOA MDL Settlement (also discussed below), the Company recorded an accrual of $335 at December 31, 2016, which was paid in installments of $15 and $320 during the second and third quarters of 2017, respectively. These accruals also include charges related to DuPont’s obligations under agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and voluntary commitments to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. These obligations and voluntary commitments include surveying, sampling, and testing drinking water in and around certain Company sites offering treatment or an alternative supply of drinking water if tests indicate the presence of PFOA in drinking water at or greater than the national health advisory. A provisional health advisory level was set by the EPA in 2009 at 0.4 parts per billion (ppb) that includes PFOA in drinking water. In May 2016, the EPA announced a health advisory level of 0.07 ppb that includes PFOA in drinking water. As a result, Chemours recorded an additional $4 in the second quarter of 2016 based on management’s best estimate of the impact of the new health advisory level on the Company’s obligations to the EPA, which have expanded the testing and water supply commitments previously established. Based on prior testing, the Company has initiated additional testing and treatment in certain additional locations in and around the Chambers Works and Washington Works plants. The Company will continue to work with the EPA regarding the extent of work that may be required with respect to these matters. In February 2018, the State of Ohio initiated litigation against DuPont regarding historical PFOA emissions from the Washington Works site. Chemours is an additional named defendant. Ohio alleges damage to natural resources and seeks damages including remediation and other costs and punitive damages. In October 2018, a putative class action was filed in Ohio federal court against 3M Company (3M), DuPont, Chemours, and other defendants seeking class action status for U.S. residents having a detectable level of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their blood serum. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, including the establishment of a PFAS Science Panel. In October 2018, a putative class action was filed in New Jersey federal court against 3M, DuPont, and Chemours alleging causes of action, including negligence, nuisance, and trespass and seeking damages including property diminution, remediation, treatment, and abatement with compensatory and punitive damages. The purported class includes private drinking water and well owner-occupants within two to five miles of the Company’s Chambers Works, New Jersey site containing any detectable level of PFOA or perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Drinking Water Actions In August 2001, a class action, captioned Leach v. DuPont, was filed in West Virginia state court alleging that residents living near the Washington Works facility had suffered, or may suffer, deleterious health effects from exposure to PFOA in drinking water. DuPont and attorneys for the class reached a settlement in 2004 that binds about 80,000 residents. In 2005, DuPont paid the plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and expenses of $23 and made a payment of $70, which class counsel designated to fund a community health project. DuPont funded a series of health studies which were completed in October 2012 by an independent science panel of experts (C8 Science Panel). The studies were conducted in communities exposed to PFOA to evaluate available scientific evidence on whether any probable link exists, as defined in the settlement agreement, between exposure to PFOA and human disease. The C8 Science Panel found probable links, as defined in the settlement agreement, between exposure to PFOA and pregnancy-induced hypertension, including preeclampsia, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and diagnosed high cholesterol. In May 2013, a panel of three independent medical doctors released its initial recommendations for screening and diagnostic testing of eligible class members. In September 2014, the medical panel recommended follow-up screening and diagnostic testing three years after initial testing, based on individual results. The medical panel has not communicated its anticipated schedule for completion of its protocol. DuPont is obligated to fund up to $235 for a medical monitoring program for eligible class members and, in addition, administrative cost associated with the program, including class counsel fees. In January 2012, DuPont put $1 in an escrow account to fund medical monitoring as required by the settlement agreement. The court-appointed director of medical monitoring established the program to implement the medical panel’s recommendations, and the registration process, as well as eligibility screening, is ongoing. Diagnostic screening and testing is ongoing, and associated payments to service providers are being disbursed from the escrow account. The Company may place additional funds into the escrow account from time to time, as necessary. As of September 30, 2018, approximately $1.4 has been disbursed from the escrow account related to medical monitoring. While it is probable that the Company will incur costs related to the medical monitoring program discussed above, such costs cannot be reasonably estimated due to uncertainties surrounding the level of participation by eligible class members and the scope of testing. In addition, under the Leach settlement agreement, DuPont must continue to provide water treatment designed to reduce the level of PFOA in water to six area water districts and private well users. At separation, this obligation was assigned to Chemours, which is included in the accrual amounts recorded as of September 30, 2018. Under the Leach settlement, class members may pursue personal injury claims against DuPont only for those human diseases for which the C8 Science Panel determined a probable link exists. Approximately 3,500 lawsuits were filed in various federal and state courts in Ohio and West Virginia and consolidated in multi-district litigation (MDL) in Ohio federal court. Settlement of MDL between DuPont and MDL Plaintiffs In March 2017, DuPont entered into an agreement with the MDL plaintiffs’ counsel providing for a global settlement of all cases and claims in the MDL, including all filed and unfiled personal injury cases and claims that are part of the plaintiffs’ counsel’s claim inventory, as well as cases that have been tried to a jury verdict (MDL Settlement). The total settlement amount was $670.7 in cash, with half paid by Chemours and half paid by DuPont. DuPont’s payment was not subject to indemnification or reimbursement by Chemours, and Chemours accrued $335 associated with this matter at December 31, 2016. In exchange for payment of the total settlement amount, DuPont and Chemours received a complete release of all claims by the settling plaintiffs. The MDL Settlement was entered into solely by way of compromise and settlement and is not in any way an admission of liability or fault by DuPont or Chemours. By September 30, 2017, Chemours had paid the full $335 accrued under the MDL Settlement. Settlement between DuPont and Chemours Related to MDL DuPont and Chemours agreed to a limited sharing of potential future PFOA costs (indemnifiable losses, as defined in the separation agreement between DuPont and Chemours) for a period of five years. During that five-year period, Chemours will annually pay future PFOA costs up to $25 and, if such amount is exceeded, DuPont will pay any excess amount up to the next $25 (which payment will not be subject to indemnification by Chemours), with Chemours annually bearing any further excess costs under the terms of the separation agreement. After the five-year period, this limited sharing agreement will expire, and Chemours’ indemnification obligations under the separation agreement will continue unchanged. Chemours has also agreed that it will not contest its indemnification obligations to DuPont under the separation agreement for PFOA costs on the basis of ostensible defenses generally applicable to the indemnification provisions under the separation agreement, including defenses relating to punitive damages, fines or penalties, or attorneys’ fees, and waives any such defenses with respect to PFOA costs. Chemours has, however, retained other defenses, including as to whether any particular PFOA claim is within the scope of the indemnification provisions of the separation agreement. Post-MDL Settlement Injury Matters All MDL lawsuits were dismissed or resolved through the MDL Settlement. The MDL Settlement does not resolve PFOA personal injury claims of plaintiffs who did not have cases or claims in the MDL or personal injury claims based on diseases first diagnosed after February 11, 2017. Since the resolution of the MDL, 37 personal injury cases have been filed and are pending in West Virginia, Ohio, and New York courts. The New York matters, which are not part of the Leach class, are brought by three individual plaintiffs alleging negligence and other claims in the release of perfluorinated compounds, including PFOA, into drinking water, and seeking compensatory and punitive damages against current and former owners and suppliers of a manufacturing facility in Hoosick Falls, New York. Water Districts In May 2017, the Water Works and Sewer Board of the Town of Centre, Alabama filed suit against numerous carpet manufacturers located in Dalton, Georgia and suppliers and former suppliers, including DuPont, in Alabama state court. The complaint alleges negligence, nuisance, and trespass in the release of perfluorinated compounds, including PFOA, into a river leading to the town’s water source, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages. In February 2018, the New Jersey-American Water Company, Inc. (NJAW) filed suit against DuPont and Chemours in New Jersey federal court alleging that discharges of perfluorochemicals, in violation of the New Jersey Compensation and Control Act, were made into groundwater utilized in the NJAW Penns Grove water system. NJAW alleges that damages include costs associated with remediating, operating, and maintaining its system, and attorney fees. PFOA Summary Chemours accrued $335 associated with the MDL Settlement at December 31, 2016, of which, all $335 had been paid by December 31, 2017. U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery, Inc. Seven lawsuits, including one putative class action, are pending against DuPont by area residents concerning the U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery multi-party Superfund site in East Chicago, Indiana. Six of the lawsuits allege that Chemours is now responsible for DuPont environmental liabilities. The lawsuits include allegations for personal injury damages, property diminution, and damages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, often referred to as Superfund). At separation, DuPont assigned Chemours its former plant site, which is located south of the residential portion of the Superfund area, and its responsibility for the environmental remediation at the Superfund site. DuPont has requested that Chemours defend and indemnify it, and Chemours has agreed to do so under a reservation of rights. Management believes a loss is reasonably possible, but not estimable at this time due to various reasons including, among others, that such matters are in early stages and have significant factual issues to be resolved. GenX and Other Perfluorinated and Polyfluorinated Compounds Governmental agencies and local community members have made inquiries and engaged in discussions with the Company with respect to the discharge of the polymerization processing aid HFPO Dimer Acid (sometimes referred to as GenX or C3 Dimer Acid) and other perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds from the Company’s facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina into the Cape Fear River, groundwater, and air. The Company believes that such discharges have not impacted the safety of drinking water in North Carolina. The Company continues to capture and separately dispose of process wastewater from the Fayetteville facility and is cooperating with a variety of ongoing inquiries and investigations from federal, state, and local authorities, regulators, and other governmental entities, including responding to federal grand jury subpoenas issued in connection with an ongoing investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In September 2017, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) issued a 60-day notice of intent to suspend the permit for the Fayetteville facility and the State of North Carolina filed an action in North Carolina state court regarding the discharges seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, as well as other relief including abatement and site correction. A partial consent order was entered partially resolving the state’s action in return for the Company’s agreement to continue and supplement the voluntary wastewater-disposal measures it had previously commenced and to provide certain information. In November 2017, NC DEQ informed the Company that it was suspending the process wastewater discharge permit for the Fayetteville facility. The Company thereafter commenced the capture and separate disposal of all process wastewater from the Fayetteville facility related to the Company’s own operations, and has incurred expenses of $8 and $28 for these efforts for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, and $11 for the year ended December 31, 2017, all of which was recognized in the fourth quarter. In February 2018, NC DEQ issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) related to groundwater on and around the site directing Chemours to respond with source control measures. In April 2018, the North Carolina Department of Air Quality (NC DAQ) issued a 60-day Notice of Intent to modify the Fayetteville site’s air emissions permit to ensure that air emissions do not contribute or cause violations of groundwater rules and amended its complaint regarding air emissions and groundwater. The State of North Carolina filed a status report containing a draft injunctive order in June 2018. While the Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the claims made in these complaints, NOVs, and the draft injunctive order, it has undertaken actions in response to these issues, including the commitment to invest over $100 designing and installing state-of-the-art environmental control technology at Fayetteville. The Company also continues to capture and separately dispose of all process wastewater at the site. In June 2018, North Carolina enacted legislation empowering the State to shut down certain facilities or to order their owners to provide alternative supplies of safe drinking water, including through the installation of household filtration systems or connection to municipal water systems for certain affected households in the facility’s vicinity. The Company had previously voluntarily offered to install filtration systems to certain affected households in the vicinity of the Fayetteville facility and has accrued an estimated liability amounting to $13 for the costs associated with that voluntary program. The Company has been seeking to resolve these issues with the State, but there can be no assurance at this stage that those discussions will result in a comprehensive resolution. In addition to the substantial costs incurred in connection with the development and installation of state-of-the-art environmental control technology at the Fayetteville site and other remedial measures, it is probable that additional costs will be incurred in connection with further actions toward a final resolution with the State, including the provision of water treatment or alternative water supply to affected households in the vicinity of the Fayetteville facility, and the Company has therefore accrued an additional estimated liability amounting to $30 in the third quarter, for a total accrual related to these matters of $43 at September 30, 2018. Although an additional loss is reasonably possible, it is not possible at this time to estimate the ultimate cost of any final resolution with the State, as discussions are continuing and many aspects remain open including, but not limited to, the scope and timing of additional potential remedies. It is possible that issues relating to groundwater deposition and/or air emissions could result in further litigation or regulatory demands with regard to the Fayetteville facility, including potential permit modifications. If such issues arise, if an order conforming to the draft injunctive order filed by the State were entered by the court, or if the State attempted to take action under the legislation described above, these events could adversely affect the facility’s continued operations and could be material to the Company. Civil actions have been filed against the Company and DuPont in North Carolina federal court relating to discharges from the Fayetteville site. These actions include a consolidated action brought by public water suppliers seeking damages and injunctive relief, a consolidated purported class action seeking medical monitoring and property damage and/or other monetary and injunctive relief on behalf of the putative classes of property owners and residents in areas near or that draw drinking water from the Cape Fear River, and an action by private well owners seeking compensatory and punitive damages. In July 2018, Cape Fear River Watch (CFRW), a non-profit organization, filed a citizen suit against NC DEQ in North Carolina state court seeking review of NC DEQ’s denial of requests for certain actions related to discharges from the Fayetteville facility. Chemours intervened in that action. Also in July 2018, CFRW filed a citizen suit against Chemours in North Carolina federal court alleging violations of the Clean Water Act and/or the Toxic Substances Control Act seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and penalties. The Company believes it has valid defenses to the litigation including that the discharges did not impact the safety of drinking water or cause any damages or injury. It is possible that additional litigation may be filed against the Company and/or DuPont concerning the discharges. It is not possible at this point to predict the timing, course, or outcome of the governmental and regulatory inquiries, the notices issued by NC DEQ and NC DAQ, the action brought by North Carolina, and the other litigation, and it is possible that these matters could materially affect the Company’s results and operations. In addition, local communities, organizations, and federal and state regulatory agencies have raised questions concerning HFPO Dimer Acid and other perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds at certain other manufacturing sites operated by the Company, and it is possible that similar developments to those described above and centering on the Fayetteville site could arise in other locations. Mining Solutions Facility Construction Stoppage In March 2018, a civil association in Mexico filed a complaint against the government authorities involved in the permitting process of the Company’s new Mining Solutions facility under construction in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. The claimant sought and obtained a suspension from the district judge to stop the Company’s construction work while the claim is studied and reviewed. Chemours, as the third-party affected, has filed an appeal. The Company has declared force majeure with its vendors while plant construction is idled. Chemours’ project permits fully comply with the laws and regulations at the federal, state, and municipal levels, and is working with local and federal authorities, along with community leaders, to address the complaint. Environmental Chemours, due to the terms of its separation-related agreements with DuPont, is subject to contingencies pursuant to environmental laws and regulations that in the future may require further action to correct the effects on the environment of prior disposal practices or releases of chemical substances by Chemours or other parties. Much of this liability results from CERCLA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and similar state and global laws. These laws require Chemours to undertake certain investigative, remediation, and restoration activities at sites where Chemours conducts or once conducted operations or at sites where Chemours-generated waste was disposed. The accrual also includes estimated costs related to a number of sites identified for which it is probable that environmental remediation will be required, but which are not currently the subject of enforcement activities. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the consolidated balance sheets included liabilities relating to these matters of $239 and $253, respectively, which, in management’s opinion, are appropriate based on existing facts and circumstances. The time-frame for a site to go through all phases of remediation (investigation and active clean-up) may take about 15 to 20 years, followed by several years of operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) activities. Remediation activities, including OM&M activities, vary substantially in duration and cost from site to site. These activities, and their associated costs, depend on the mix of unique site characteristics, evolving remediation technologies, diverse regulatory requirements, as well as the presence or absence of other potentially responsible parties. In addition, for claims that Chemours may be required to indemnify DuPont pursuant to the separation-related agreements, Chemours, through DuPont, has limited available information for certain sites or is in the early stages of discussions with regulators. For these sites in particular, there may be considerable variability between the clean-up activities that are currently being undertaken or planned and the ultimate actions that could be required. Therefore, considerable uncertainty exists with respect to environmental remediation costs and, under adverse changes in circumstances, although deemed remote, the potential liability may range up to approximately $470 above the amount accrued at September 30, 2018. Chemours incurred environmental remediation expenses of $8 and $32 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, and $18 and $36 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. Based on existing facts and circumstances, management does not believe that any loss, in excess of amounts accrued, related to remediation activities at any individual site will have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in any given year, as such obligation can be satisfied or settled over many years. Sale of East Chicago, Indiana On June 29, 2018, the Company sold its East Chicago, Indiana site to a third-party for $1. In connection with the sale, the buyer has agreed to assume all costs associated with environmental remediation activities at the site in excess of $21, which will remain the responsibility of Chemours. At the time of the sale, the Company had accrued the full $21, and will reimburse the buyer through a series of progress payments to be made at defined intervals as certain tasks are completed. The Company recognized a gain of $3 on the sale, which includes the purchase price of $1, plus $2 in environmental remediation liabilities that were assumed by the buyer on the occurrence of the sale. Sale of Potomac River, West Virginia On September 27, 2018, the Company sold its Potomac River, West Virginia site to a third-party for $4. In connection with the sale, the buyer has agreed to assume certain future environmental remediation costs, and Chemours has retained $4 in existing environmental remediation liabilities. The Company recognized a $3 gain on the sale, which was deferred and will be recognized as the Company completes certain environmental remediation activities at the site. |
